Index stand



Oct. 18, 1932. P. o. UNGER 1,883,255

7 INDEX STAND Filed May 25. 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I E3 Z5 9 OOOOGOOOQQOOOO J 7 lT-EFQ 0OOOOOOOOOOOO OOOODOOOO000000 f Oct. 18, 1932. P. o. UNGER1,883,255

' INDEX STAND Filed May 25, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 PaaZ O. anger:

Patented Oct. 18, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAUL O. UNGER, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T WILSON-JONES COMPANY, OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS INDEX STAND Application filedMay 25, 1931. Serial No. 539,661.

This invention relates to a visible index stand and concerns itself withsuch a structure whereby a plurality of sheets may be suspended inhorizontal overlapping relation. The clamping means for the visibleindex sheets is preferably so designed that it may be removed from thestand if desired or may be reversed and placed back upon the stand.

The invention comprises the novel structure and combination of partshereinafter described and more particularly pointed out and defined inthe appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred form of thisinvention, and

in which similar reference numerals refer to similar features in thediiferent views:

Figure 1 is a front elevational View of avisible index stand involvingthis invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the face of thestand with the clampin device removed.

4 igure 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view showing the sheetsmounted in normal position.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 illustrating the suspending meanspositioned in reverse relation and showing the rear faces of the sheets.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modified form ofclamping means for the visible index sheets.

Figure 6 is a side elevational View of the visible index stand showingin dotted lines how the same may be adjusted.

Figure 7 is a rear plan view of the visible index stand illustrating therelation of parts when the stand is adapted to be used in horizontalposition such as may rise from placing the same upon a table or desk.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional View taken upon the line VIII-VIIIof Figure 2. Figure 9 is a fragmentary elevational sec tional view takenupon the line IX-IX of 4 Figure 3.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken upon the line XX ofFigure 7 looking in the direction of the arrow.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary sectional view taken upon the line XI-XI ofFigure 10.

tures 3 and a rectangular slot & for receiving parts of the sheetclamping device as will later more fully appear. This sheet metal plateis provided with laterally extending flanges 5 upon one side forsupporting a rod 6 for a purpose that will later appear. The sheet metalmember is provided at one upper corner with an inwardly directed tongue7 which is rigidly secured to the lateral margin of the plate. At theopposite upper corner of the plate there is a slidable tongue or detentmember 8 which is illustrated in detail in Figure 8. This slidabledetent has an up standing finger portion 8 by means of which it may beoperated and an inwardly directed tongue or detent 8 for a purpose thatwill later appear. The detent member has a portion superposed over thebody of the plate which is provided with a slot 10 for receiving a stud9 projecting from the plate. A guide member 11 which extendstransversely across the plate is pivotally and slidably mounted upon therod 6 and is provided with a knob 12 adjacent its attached end wherebythe same may be moved upwardly and downwardly with respect to the platemember 1. The particular manner of mounting the guide member 11 upon therod 6 is best shown in Figures 10 and 11 and in referring to thesefigures, it will be noted that a U-shaped bearing member is attached tothe guide member 11. This U-shaped bearing member has an upper bridgeportion 13 which is provided with terminal arms 14 which are suit ablyapertured for receiving the rod 6 with provision for free movement. Thebridge portion 13 also has a bent portion 15 which forms a support for aleaf spring 16 that normally bears against the rod 6. According to thisconstruction it is possible to elevate the guide member 11 upon the rod6 which serves as a pivot and it is also possible to slide the guidealong the rod 6.

The index stand is adapted to be positioned in an inclined plane asshown in Figure 6 or in a horizontal plane if desired. To this end, asuitable base is hinged to the rear face of the plate 1. This baseconsists of a pair of bars 17 which are hinged to the plate 1 adj a centone margin thereof as at 19. These bars are provided with suitablecushions or feet 18 and they are transversely connected by bars 20 and21. The bars 17 are serrated upon their upper surfaces as indicated at17 in Figure 12. A strut frame is pivoted to the rear face of the plate1 for maintaining the plate 1 in inclined position. This frame comprisesa pair of bars 22 which are hinged to the plate, as indicated at 23.These bars are connected by a transverse brace 24 and are adapted toengage the serrations 17 in the base member 17 as indicted in Figure 12.For this purpose it will be noted that the strut members 22 arepartially overlapped by the member 17 in order to bring about thisengagement. From the foregoing. it will be evident that the plate 1 maybe adjusted to and desired inclinations with respect to the base bymeans of the adjustable struts 22, or the same may lie fiat against thebase by swinging the struts 22 upwardly into contact with the bottom ofthe plate 1.

A visible index holding device is adapted to be retained upon the frontface of the plate 1. While this device may assume various forms, as amatter of illustration it has been illustrated as consisting of a pairof plates 25 and 26 which are hinged along one edge as indicated at 27.The plate 26 is provided with a plurality of impaling posts or prongs 28and the plate 25 is provided with a similar number of apertures 29 forreceiving the ends of the posts. These impaling posts may be secured tothe plate 26 in any suitable manner. In Figure 5, there is illustrated amodified form of sheet-holding device consisting of a pair of plateswhich are hinged together as indicated at 30. One plate is provided withstruck-up posts 31 and the other is provided with suitable apertures 82for receiving the posts. However, no invention is predicated upon thesheet-holding device except as it may cooperate with the index stand forthe reason that it is old in the art to provide such devices forshifting loose sheets in connection with visible index binders.

When the plates 25 and 26 of the sheet holding device are foldedtogether upon their hinge joints with loose sheets therebetween, it isdesirable to temporarily latch them in such position. For this reason, asuitable latching mechanism has been illustrated. In referring to Figure9, which illustrates this latching mechanism in detail, it will be notedthat the plate 26 has an upstanding stud 34 while the top plate 25 has apair of studs 33. These studs are headed for retaining a latch member 35thereon. This latch member is provided with suitable apertures or slots36 for receiving the studs. One end of the latch 35 is turned upwardlyas indicated at 37 to form a finger-piece. It might be mentioned thatthe slots 36 for the posts 33 are sufficiently narrow so that the latchplate will be retained upon the studs 33. The slots 36 are, however, ofsufiicient length to allow the latch 35 to be withdrawn to the rightuntil the aperture in the end thereof passes beyond the stud 34: forunlatching the two plates.

The lateral edges of the plate 25 are provided with suitable recesses ornotches 38 as indicated in Figures 1 and 8 for receiving theaforementioned tongues 7 and 8 The slidable latch member 8 is adapted tobe drawn outwardly as shown in dotted lines in Figure 8, the sheetholding device may then be inserted in the depression 2 with the tongue7 engaging the left hand notch in the plate 25. Then the slidable latchmember 8 may be shifted inwardly so that the tongue 8 will engage itsnotch for securely retaining the sheet holding device on the plate 1.The sheet holding device may be mounted upon the board 1 with its frontface in view as shown in Figure 3 or the same may be released andreversed and secured upon the board 1 in reverse position with its rearface in View as shown in Figure 4. In some instances it may be desiredto reverse the sheets that are adapted to be retained by the clampingdevice. When the sheet clamping device is reversed, the ends of theposts will engage the apertures 3 in the plate 1 and the latch 35 willfit in the rectangular slot 4 so that in its reverse position the sheetclamping device will lie fiat against the plate 1. In the presentinstance, the sheet holding device is shown as supporting a plurality ofindex sheets 39 in overlapping relation in a manner similar to the sheetshifting devices that are used with visible index binders.

From the foregoing, it will be obvious that a novel form of visibleindex stand has been provided upon which a plurality of sheets inoverlapping relation may be removably confined and inspected either froma horizontal plane or an inclined plane.

It will be appreciated that such a Visible index stand provides a readymeans for supporting visible data for computing or bookkeeping or otherpurposes, so that the operator may readily read the same at a glance andWithout requiring the fingering of pages or the like.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details ofconstruction may be varied through a wide range without departing fromthe principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purposelimiting the patent anted hereon otherwise than is necessitated y theprior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the character described, a supporting plate having atongue at one edge, a slidable tongue upon the other ed e, asheet-holding device having a notch or receiving the first-mentionedtongue and a notch for receiving the other tongue through a slidingmovement.

2. In a device of the character described, a plate member,means forsupporting said plate member at various inclinations and a sheet-holdingdevice comprising apair of hinge plates foldable into superposedrelation and having lateral notches, and means on said plate member forengaging said notches for removably holding said device upon said platemember.

3. In a device of the character described, a plate member having adepression along its upper margin and a sheet-holding device fittingsaid margin, and cooperating means between said plate and sheet holdingdevice for removably latching the same thereto.

4. In a device of the character described, a supporting plate, a sheetholding device comprising a pair of hinged plates foldable intosuperposed relation and latching means upon said'support for removablysecuring said device thereto.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub- .scribed my name at Chicago,Cook County,

Illinois.

' PAUL O. UNGER.

